One of the most frequent tech support calls that we receive pertains to “Dragon is not functioning well” or “at all”. And while it’s not always Dragon that suffers; other applications and PC operability are stifled in some way. Why?

Windows does not manage its memory very well. It doesn’t matter what the OS is, but Windows quite simply does not fully restore memory when programs are closed. Theoretically this is supposed to occur, but let’s face it, when do computers and software function as advertised? If you think I’m being cynical, please understand I am a hard core computer user with very stringent demands, but I’m also a realist. I do not expect computers to work as advertised because they seldom do. I find it less stressful to not expect computers to work perfectly and be pleasantly surprised when something does work well. But I digress…

Things happen. Usually when Windows is not functioning well.

Simple. Restart your computer once per day! Yes, it’s that simple.

Either shut down your computer every night or restart it in the morning while you are obtaining your coffee. This does not include logging off and then logging on. Logging is not restarting the computer itself. This will not help. Restart or shut down and start. If your needs exceed your computer’s abilities, you may need to even restart the computer twice per day (i.e. at lunch time).

Obviously it’s wise to ensure that the RAM is suitable for the system, and there is no malware present. However, if by restarting your computer the usual symptoms vanish, then it is likely that such can be attributed to Windows not managing its memory well. If symptoms persist despite restarting daily, then further investigation definitely has merit and should be pursued.

The bottom line? Restart your computer daily. This trick will not only salvage your sanity when using a computer, but it will minimize “problems” with Dragon and other applications.

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I’ve been trying to add a YouTube node to this blog but of course it needs to have videos there that is somewhere related to the topic. So having used CamStudio in the past I thought I’d revisit that screen capture program and get it to record me dictating through Dragon so that you could see just how it responds just how I dictate et cetera.
Well that was the goal, reality turned out something different.

I did some research on this and found a number of YouTube clips which showed really good results on using CamStudio

and even with using CamStudio with Windows 7 in the 64-bit versions

So I downloaded the codec – the instructions that allow the system to convert to the format of video or output that you’re looking for. I updated with everything that I could find.

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Header Image Copyright

The header image showing a stylised version of myself and a dragon working on a keyboard was painted for me by Gillian Perrett Copyright 2013. I hold the original painting and the limited right to use the image in my own blog. All other usage, storage and reproduction rights are retained by the Image Creator and Owner, Gillian Perrett.